Why People Participate In Fundraising Events (Infographic)

While at a wildlife conservation expo recently, a friend and I remarked to one another that while the event was fun, the serious downside is that there were a ton of deserving organizations present and we have only so much money to donate. How do organizations get a competitive edge in fundraising? An infographic by Walk Run Ride reveals some clues. This is great information to study in order to make each nonprofit fundraising event as productive as possible. Event360 notes, "Successfully using events to raise money, awareness and advocates is predicated on the assumption that someone will actually attend your event. As we have all learned the hard way--attendance is not guaranteed. And so in order to make any impact with our work, we need to understand what drives people to participate in fundraising events."

The organization came up with a 5-point model to describe participation, including organization, cause, participants, activity and third party. The most successful events have all five drivers keyed in. Key points:

$1.56 billion was raised for nonprofits in 2010, up from$28.1 million in 2009.

11.3 million people participated in nonprofit events, compared to 250,000+ in 2009.

36,968 non-profits held events with or staged by participants in 2010.

Loyalty to a nonprofit and its community is a strong participant driver.

Many people engage in your nonprofit event because they are driven by its cause.

Some people participate in your event because their friends, family or other close ones are participating, too.

Sometimes people participate in your nonprofit's event simply because they like your activity.

A third-party may be the driving factor behind a supporter's decision to participate in your event.

For green nonprofits, from wildlife conservation to solar installation for low-income families, the same rules apply as more well-known fundraising like Walk for the Cure. Focus on people who have loyalty to your cause, get them to rope in friends and family, and do something fun that anyone would enjoy participating in.

We've seen some fantastic, creative strategies for fundraising from nonprofits that get people involved and excited -- for example, Charity:Water's Twestival. By ensuring you have these five drivers in place, your nonprofit event could knock your fundraising goal out of the park.

You can view the graphic here, but click through to see it in large (so you can actually read the text...).